Manifolding way-bill.



c. n. TRUEIVIAN.

MANIFOLDING WAY BILL.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 4. I914.

Patented June 20, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

MQQW

C. D. TRUEIVIAN.

MANIFOLDING WAY BILL.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 4. 1914.

Patented June 20, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

CHARLES 1D. TRUEMAN, 0F CLEVELAND, OHIO.

MANIFOLJDING WAY-BILL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 2d, i916.

Application filed December 4, 1914. Serial No. 875,405.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES D. TRUEMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Manifolding Way-Bills, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to manifolding memorandum slips, and particularly to such as are employed by railroad companies as freight bills.

As is well known to those familiar with freight transportation, 'memorandum slips employed in such connection consist of a number of facsimiles of what is known as the way bill, in many cases there being from five to seven copies. Because of the number of copies, and the numerous bills that a company is required to issue in the course of a days business, the method of writing the bills has been reduced to a minimum amount of work by using what is known as the fan fold or] zig-zag type of bill, which may comprise any. number of leaves or slips, the

way bills being supplied in large rolls or packages and separably connected. In this form, the way bills are fed, one after another, through a so-calledfbook typewriter wherein carbon sheets are supported by suitable means from the frame of the typewriter, one sheet of the carbon paper reposing beneath each except the bottom leaf of the way bill. By this arrangement, a bill can be issued in multi-form by a single writing, and drawn through the typewriter and torn'off, leaving the next way bill in the typewriter ready for writing, it being understood that the carbon paper is retained in its former position within the way bill that is now in the machine.

It is very desirable, as a matter of convenience and economy, to have certain of the copies of the way bill accompany the freight to its destination, thereby making it unnecessary to mail such copies to the receiving station, or to resort to the alternative of such practice, which is to have someone at the receiving station make copies of the way bill upon the arrival of the freight. Une or the other of these methods, usually the latter, has to be followed if copies of the bill are not sent with the freight. Now,if the copies are sent along with the freight as they are taken from the typewriter, without being more securely attached together or protected, they are liableto become separated and damaged during the trip. It is a very decided advantage, therefore, to secure these copies together in some manner so as to protect them against injury or separation, and at the same time leave the face of.

for sealing or temporarily inclosing certain of the copies, which means is incorporated within the way bill itself and does not interfere in any way with the present method of producing, printing, and writing such bills, and which adds but little to the cost thereof.

To illustrate my invention 1 have shown it in the accompanying drawings as embodied in a formof freight bill that has been quite universally adopted by railroad companies throughout the country.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a freight bill of the fan fold or zig-zag type having my invention embodied therein, the various leaves being somewhat separated; Fig. 2 is an edge elevation of the freight bill shown in Fig. 1, the same being compacted into the condition in which it is taken from a typewriter; Fig. 3 is a perspective of the freight bill sealed ready for transportation; Fig. 4 is a perspective of a large sheet of separable manifolding wayloills of the kind shown in the preceding figures, as it appears before being folded; Fig. 5 is a perspective of the sheet shown in Fig. 4, folded and in conditionto be fed through a typewriter; Figs. 6 and 7 are edge elevations of a modified form of my invention, the latter figure showing the same in readiness for use; and Figs. 8 and 9 are views similar to the respective Figs. 6 and 7, of a further form of my invention.

The manifolding way-bill shown in the drawings comprises a series of seven leaves,

(although any desired number may be employed) the successive leaves of the series being connected at their side edges and perforated along the lines of the folds. The successive leaves of the series are numbered from 1 to 7, and the lines of perforations between the leaves are represented at 8. A row of perforations 9 separate the body portion of the leaf 1 from a flap 10 which ex- 5 tends from its side edge opposite the one to which is connected the leaf 2, and the underneath surface of the flap is preferably gummed. a

Between the leaves 5 and 6 of the bill, and 10 separated from the body portions of said leaves by the rows of perforations 11, is a strip of material which constitutes a flap 12 that is preferably gummed on its upper side. The portion of the strip which is ad acent 15 the leaf 5 is separated from that portlon adjacent the leaf 6 by a line of perforations 13. 'While I have shown the flap 12 as being located between the leaves 5 and 6 of the bill, I wish it to be understood that such flap may be located between the adjacent ends of any two successive leaves of the bill, so long as itoccurs at the end of the way bill opposite the flap 10, when said bill is compacted, as shownin Fig. 2. All of the leaves of the manlfolding way bill are identical except thateach bears a distinctive label which "announces the use or purpose of its particular leaf. For 1nstance, the upper leaf, or leaf 1, has printed v thereon a form entitled way bill. The next leaf is labeled freight bill, the third, freight receipt, the fourth is the cashiers slip, and leaf 5 is the arrival notice, while leaf 6 is a copy to be retained by the forwarding station, and leaf 7 constitutes a copy for the auditors use. Leaves 6 and 7, therefore, are to be held at the forwarding station and are severed fromthe remainder of the leaves by tearing the bill along the 40 line of perforations 13. The remaining leaves accompanying the freight to the receiving station; and since the way bill is the only one that it is necessary to inspect while en route, leaves 2, 3, 4 and 5 may beinclosed and sealed by securing the flap 10 tothe underneath, adjacent edge of leaf 5 and securing the flap 12 to the adjacent end of leaf 1, as shown in Fig. 3. Now, when the freight reaches its destination, the leaves may be severed and all memoranda necessary for a complete record of the shipment isin the hands of the agent at the receiving station, the various copies to be used for .their respective purposes. The making of all of these copies,it will be remembered,

was accomplished at the time of'the original and single writing of the way bill at the forwarding station.

In Fig. 4 have shown the manifolding way-bills as they come from a printing press in a large sheet that is divided into longitudinal columns by rows of perforations 14, and into transverse colums by rows of perforations 15, said transverse columns each representing a complete manifolding waybill. When taken from the press, the longitudinal columns are folded one upon the other in a zig-zag formation and the way bills are supplied to the user in a package or roll. As previously set forth, the manifolding way-bills being supplied in this form, may be fed successively through what is known as the book typewriter wherein the sheets of carbon paper are supported from the frame of the machine between the various leaves of the way-bill. After the way-bill is written, it can be withdrawn from the machine, and this very operation draws the next way-bill into the machine in readiness for writing, the sheets of carbon paper remaining in their former positions and between the leaves of the subsequent way bill.

In Figs. 6 and 7 I have shown a slightly modified form of way bill, the only difference between it and the former modification being in the location of the intermediate flap. In this form, the flap 12 is located between leaves 1 and 2 of the bill, and after those leaves which are to be retained by the forwarding station have been severed from the way bill, the flaps 10 and 12 can be turned under thelateral edges of'the way bill and the same sealed as shown in Fig. 7

In the form of manifolding way bill illustrated in Figs. Sand 9, I dispense with the intermediate flap entirely and use only the one that extends from the side edge of the first leaf. This flap 10 is gummed on its underneath surface, the same as the flap 10 of the former modifi gationsk After the bill has been written, :leaves 1 and 2 are drawn out and leaf 2 is turngd completely over with its face against th' underneath surface of the bottoinleaf (as suggested by dotted lines in Fig. 8), and leaf 1 is then folded over the top or face of leaf 3, or to its original position, and? the flap 10 is secured to the end of the way bill as shown in Fig. 9. In this way the faces of all but the first of the leaves of the way bill are inclosed and the leaves very securely held against separation. It will be noted, furthermore, that in this and the preceding forms of my invention, the original leaf, or that written directly b the typewriter, and therefore constituti g a more permanent record than the other leaves or carbon copies, is the one i which is exposed for use as the way bill.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. A manifolding way-bill com rising a series of leaves that are connected at their side edges, the leaves of the series being adapted to be folded upon themselves in zigzag fashion, the leaf at each end of the series having a flap connected to one of its edges and arranged to be turned about and secured to the corresponding edge of the opposite end leaf of the. series.

menace 2. A manifolding way-bill comprising a series of leaves that are connected at their side edges, the leaves of the series being adapted to be folded u on themselves in zig-zag fashion, the lea at .each end of the series having a flap extending from its free, side edge and arranged to be turned about and secured to the corresponding edge of the opposite end leaf of the series.

3. A manifolding way-bill comprising a series of leaves, the leaves of the series having their adjacent edges-connected and being adapted to be folded upon'themselves in zig-zag fashion to form a packet, a flap extending from that edge of the. first leaf of the series remote from its edge which has strip of material between two of the leaves and so located that, when the leaves are folded said strip will constitute a flap which extends from the end of the packet opposite to that from which the first mentioned flap extends;

4. A plurality of separable manifolding way-bills comprising a single sheet of material that is divided into columns, a flap extending from one of the edges of the sheet that is parallel to said columns, and a strip of material between two of the columns, said strip being located so that when the successive columns are folded upon each other in zig-zag fashion to form apacket, said strip will constitute a flap at the end of the packet remote from the first mentioned flap.

In testimony whereof, ll hereunto afixmy signature in the presence of two witnesses. connection to the next adjacent leaf, and a CHARLES D. TRUEN. Witnesses:

BRENNAN B. WEST, HUGH B. McGmL. 

